Three DC May Solicitations for 2013

[aeka]

To summarise...



WORLDS' FINEST #12
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by KEVIN MAGUIRE and GERALDO BORGES
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale MAY 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
As Power Girl returns to her classic look, DeSaad wreaks havoc on her tech empire—and PG and Huntress find themselves hunted by the talented torturer from Apokolips.



BATMAN, INCORPORATED #11
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art and cover by CHRIS BURNHAM
Variant cover by GUILLEM MARCH
1:100 B&W Variant cover by CHRIS BURNHAM
On sale MAY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $3.99 US
Batman’s world has been devastated by his war against Talia, but is he willing to give up on his own humanity?

This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.



BATMAN AND ROBIN #20
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY
On sale MAY 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The massive fallout from the recent events in BATMAN, INCORPORATED take Batman to the very limits of his sanity…will The Red Hood pull him back—or push him over the edge?

I have a feeling that based on these and the last batch of solicitations that Damian Wayne is the next member of the Batfamily to go...

Comments

[shadowpsykie]

ihave to say... i am happy about the boob window.... now that she looks like PG... maybe she will begin to act like her...

[espanolbot]

Huh, this is weird, I thought that Batman Inc had been exiled to its own nether dimension or something, except for a brief mention in the first Batman and Robin storyline.

[aeka]

I did too actually. It feels very disconnected from the rest of the DC Universe.

[espanolbot]

From what I've heard Morrison is just trying to complete the storyline he set out to do when he first started writing his Batman titles, but what with the reboot and everything not everyone is now marching to the same drum due to the lack of overall planning involved.

For example, Batwoman and Batman Inc were meant to be tied into Death of the Family, but the creative teams of both books refused to be involved as they were in the middle of their own storylines at the time.

Discontent amongst the ranks is also allegedly what got Gail Simone fired, as editorial (not Scott Snyder, as he and Gail seem to be on good terms) tried to make her do something in Batgirl that she disagreed with, to the extent that another writer had to be brought in to cover the after-effect what whatever it is that happens.

And then there's what the writer of Suicide Squad did, which was actively contract what happened in Batman inregards to Harley Quinn due to him feeling that as a star of his series he "owned" Quinn and didn't appreciate having his own storylines derailed for a crossover he's ownly slightly connected to.

IF these alleged reasons are true... it certainly explains the shifts in quality and tone in between the tie-in titles, in addition to the skewed time-frame that they were all meant to be occurring in.

[darkknightjrk]

I hadn't heard any of that at all, especially trying to put Batwoman and Inc into Death of the Family. Can you give a link to where you got your information?

[espanolbot]

Looking for my citation, will post when I find it again.

[mrstatham]

From what I'd heard, Snyder extended the offer of Batwoman being a part of DOTF but Blackman and JHW3 declined, which he was okay with. So if they did try and force it, then it was editorial behind it.

It makes zero sense for Batwoman to be involved anyway; She's not even connected to Batman and the Family.

[filthysize]

Nope, it's actually referenced multiple times in Snyder's Batman.

[mrstatham]

It's also referenced in Batman and Robin. One of the people Nobody kills off is the Russian representative of Batman Inc, I think?

I imagine it just tends to get left alone so Morrison can do his own thing and not be too pinned down by what others are doing. It just makes it really rather weird when they're including the entirety of the Teen Titans in the crossover but not Batman Inc members, but then a lot about putting Batman Inc into the condensed DCnU timeline makes no sense.

[goattoucher]

Where is her butt? She's got nice, thick arms and muscular legs, where's the flank steak to go with it?

[shadowpsykie]

even as a joke.... i don;t think this is the place for that, as it is very hard to decern tone via text. but reducing a woman's body (or anyone's body for that matter) to a piece of meat is very objectifying...

[espanolbot]

Not sure if he's being ironic or not. What with him literally talking about her in terms of actual meat and all.

[shadowpsykie]

as i said... tone is hard to decifer on here... just something about it just... i don't know perhaps i am being overly sensitive... and reacting to the Zod icon as well...

[arilou_skiff]

Tone aside, there is something slightly odd with her proportions there. She does look like she's missing her behind.

[shadowpsykie]

titlt's head....

hmmm well... it might be the angle.... though you may have a point....

[turtlefu]

Come off it, man. When somebody says "junk in the trunk" they aren't reducing a woman to a car.

[mrstatham]

Except 'junk in the trunk' is still ridiculously objectifying.

[kd_the_movie]

it is quite jarring now that you mention it.

[auggie18]

Man, the new costume lasted longer than I thought it would.

Glad to see the classic one returning, though.

[darkknightjrk]

I'm more surprised that we got literally the old costume. I figured that if they were going to bring back the...erm...classic aspect of her costume, it would keep the pants and all that.

[silverhammerman]

I'm not seeing the Batman Inc cover, can anyone provide a link?
Not sure about seeing PG's old costume back though. I mean, I like it and I think it has a great sense of personality, but it's still one of those things in comics can come off as really objectifying if not done really well. I would have liked them to come up with a new costume that's a closer to the old look but also a little less male gaze-y. Plus it'll be weird to see her rocking a clean classic look like that when everyone else in the DCU is running around covered head to toe in unnecessary seams and nehru collars.
I like that Batman and Robin cover, it's a neat visual.

[espanolbot]

http://www.comicvine.com/news/exclusive-batman-group-may-2013-solicits/146003/

[silverhammerman]

Thanks!
There is.... a lot of stuff going on with those covers.
The Batman Inc cover in particular is rather cheesecake-y.

[rainspirit]

Reading through that list:

Can the Talon escape the jaws of death? What will become of him if he doesn’t?

He'll... die?

I know they're trying to build suspense, but come on.

[benuben]

While I appreciate the artist didn't have the need to insult our intelligence by twisting her so that we could see her ass, this looks like she has no ass at all.

Anyway, does this mean we can see return of classic Harley soon? Please?

[katya]

I have a feeling that based on these and the last batch of solicitations that Damian Wayne is the next member of the Batfamily to go...

I kind of hope that's true. Honestly, I've loved ever incarnation of Robin, but I just can't stand Damian. He's not just a "little shit", he's frequently characterized as a psychopath. I keep trying, but I've just never taken a liking to him.

Re: Batman, Inc. ... that title is so divorced from what the other books are doing it's ridiculous. Tying it into the other books breaks so many continuities, especially looking at that B&R solicit. Pulling that title, Inc., and RHatO together is just brain-breaking when you try to figure out how the hell it would be possible for Jason to be Red Hood, having adventures in space and barely tolerating most of his family AND, simultaneously, Batman's totally sanctioned second-in-command as Wingman. Does not compute.

[benuben]

I really hope it's not. He's exactly the kind of character, who can change into likable individual with enough character development and good writing.

I think Damian works best when he's played for laughs. Have you read Superman/Batman 77, or his crossovers with that.. blonde Batgirl... who is she again? He might a psycho, but he can be damn entertaining one.

[katya]

I liked his interactions with Steph, and his appearances in Red Robin but post-reboot he's been difficult to deal with. I was really struck by one of the early issues of B&R, when he randomly killed that bat for no goddamn reason. That was a really terrible characterization moment and - maybe because I work in the CJ system and study abnormal and criminal behavior - I think it marked him in a way I just can't shake.

[mrstatham]

I think I lost all desire to actively read about Damian with no-one else involved when Morrison had Bruce give him a free pass when it came to him murdering the Spook in cold blood and then proceeding to try and murder Tim Drake. The kid should've been turfed out on his ear right then, but instead, the kid gets all the privileges. I also rampantly dislike when we KNOW he's got an incredibly high level of intelligence - enough so that he can make incredibly scathing remarks about people - but we're meant to give HIM a free pass when it comes to anyone daring to say anything back to him - often citing that 'he's just ten'. Most ten year olds AREN'T as smart as him, or have lived his life.

[sistermagpie]

It's something I really can't get over either. It essentially takes this entire universe full of strong, if flawed, people, and puts them all in the thrall of a child. It's just this sort of superbrat mythology. The only 'correct' way to deal with his behavior is to approve of him more. Anything that even looks like correction is being mean because he's really just a woobie. Even characters who are seen as the nicest to him sometimes get criticized for making a joke that he happens to take the wrong way. Someone who honestly doesn't like him is a downright villain and even possibly bigoted.

I think it makes Batman look like a fool, tbh.

[mrstatham]

I think more than the whole 'killing the Spook' thing (that Bruce would throw anyone else out of Gotham for, if not worse), the attitude the other characters have to have toward him is what gets me, yeah. It's just farcical. Again, it becomes amusing, to me, when some fans say 'he's just a kid, you can't say 'X' to his face', but.. Well, most kids don't have Batman as a father. Most kids weren't raised by a millionaire supervillainess who presumably had very high standards. I loathe it that no-one can say a single thing out of line toward him, because it just reeks of him being the pet character of one of the top writers in the company; If Dick - the only other Robin who had previously been around the same age Damian was when he first got picked up as Robin - did any of the crap Damian does, he'd get clipped around the ear.

[sistermagpie]

Right and some of the things he says even if he WAS normal 10 year old instead of a super genius who seems to have adult abilities any time it's convenient--you'd discipline him in some way. Instead everyone is supposed to be powerful to correct him whether he's murdering someone, taking someone else's sandwich or insulting someone. (And you also need to praise him a lot.) Dick was always expected to be basically well-behaved--do his homework, be polite, listen to Bruce and Alfred. With Damian it's like the only time he can be wrong is when he's allegedly being too hard on himself for not living up to his own high opinion on himself.

[sadoeuphemist]

I don't think his actions with the Spook should have damned him for life. The thing is, he believed that this was how he was supposed to act, thanks to his League of Assassins upbringing. He sincerely believed that murdering people was the way to prove himself. Once everyone told him 'holy shit stop killing people what the hell', he quit doing it. And conversely, it's not as if Batman has totally refused to associate with people who murdered before. This is the guy who thought that Harvey Dent would be a suitable replacement when he took a sabbatical for a year. This is the guy who is collaborating with Jason Todd in the bat-books right now.

[mrstatham]

"Once everyone told him 'holy shit stop killing people what the hell', he quit doing it."

Except for, you know, that guy he shoved his fingers into the skull of. Again, it's not just the killing. It's the attitude. He's utterly, utterly unlikable and yet he gets a free pass because he's Morrison's golden boy.

[sadoeuphemist]

What, you mean Nobody? The guy who was engaged in a crazy campaign of violence and psychological harassment to get Damian to use lethal force? Are you really going to blame him for that? My point is that Damian started out cavalierly murdering dudes because he thought it was how things were done. And then when people told him not to, he quit murdering dudes just like that.

Yes, Damian is unlikeable. That's why people don't like him. His own dad avoided him for ages, and keeps getting mad at him now that they're working together. Tim butts heads with him constantly. Steph and him were constantly squabbling back in the day, until they managed to reach an understanding. Dick and Alfred are pretty chill with him, but they're chill dudes in general.

[weber_dubois22]

Ugh, and the titillation continues.

[mrstatham]

If you're talking about the WF cover, I personally think it's rather restrained compared to some examples.

[bewareofgeek]

Show of hands... am I the only one who saw the cover to B&R20 and thought "HARDWARE?"

[mrstatham]

All I can say with regards to that Batgirl cover is that if it were, say, a Millar comic cover, EVERYONE would be mocking the hell out of how ridiculously hard it's trying to be creepy.

Also, if they go the blatantly obvious route of making Starling the traitor to the group just because BOP's first writer is leaving, I'm done. She's too cool to be thrown away like that.

[halloweenjack]

Really, they should have gone with the scoop-neck version.